Paul Gilbert Discusses "Blues Vs. Metal"

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Here's an interesting clip we stumbled upon this afternoon.

It's a semi-recently shot video of Paul Gilbert discussing the differences between blues and metal guitar playing.

And, if we can take it a step further, the advantages of blues guitar over metal guitar.

"Of course, there's great things in that style [metal], but harmonically it's kind of limiting—at least for me, and I played it for a long time," Gilbert says. "You just kind of run out of ideas. I can't change those notes; there's no other options."

If you happen to read Italian, be sure to check out a story about this topic—and this video—right here at accordo.it. The Accordo headline is "Paul Gilbert: perchè il blues è meglio del metal," or, "Paul Gilbert: Why blues is better than metal."

Damian Fanelli
Damian Fanelli
Editor-in-Chief, Guitar World

Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.